All Society of Pension Professionals articles – Page 3

  • News

    Professionals support switch to CPIH with no compensation

    2020-03-05T00:00:00Z

    On the go: More than a third of pension professionals support a switch from the retail price index to the consumer price index incorporating owner occupier housing costs with no compensation, new research shows.

  • News

    Auto-enrolment process creates 'employee underclass'

    2020-02-27T00:00:00Z

    Three out of four pensions professionals say employers should be free to statutorily enrol any employee they wish, even if current auto-enrolment age and earnings criteria are not met.

  • Angus Peters
    Opinion

    New year, new attitude to ESG compliance?

    2020-01-15T00:00:00Z

    Happy New Year, the world is burning. While readers will doubtless have tried to take a step back from work as the second-hottest year in recorded history came to a close, it will have been tougher to disregard footage of Australia’s south-east being engulfed in flames.

  • News

    Trustees sitting on hands over ESG investment

    2020-01-06T00:00:00Z

    On the go: A new survey has raised serious doubts as to whether pension funds will take meaningful action in the short term on sustainable investment issues, despite new regulations coming into force in October.

  • News

    Lancashire hails portfolio's positive impact on local area

    2019-07-19T00:00:00Z

    The Lancashire County Council Pension Fund, which has invested £200m in its local community since 2013, has become an industry trailblazer amid growing interest in social impact investments.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: A closer look at DB consolidation

    2019-01-09T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Last month, the government published a consultation on the consolidation of defined benefit pension schemes. What is the outlook for DB superfunds? And what should trustees consider if they are thinking about switching from a sponsor covenant to a consolidator covenant? In this episode, Alex Hutton-Mills, managing director at Lincoln Pensions, and Paul McGlone, president of the Society of Pension Professionals, discuss the consultation and whether early adopter nerves are holding back inflows to the new DB consolidators.

  • News

    Government fires ‘starting gun’ on superfund deals

    2018-12-07T00:00:00Z

    A government consultation published last week will allow the UK’s commercial defined benefit consolidators to press ahead with their first deals, it has been claimed, although some experts say questions remain over how the businesses can be prudently regulated.

  • News

    FTSE 100 DB risk drops nearly a quarter

    2018-10-10T00:00:00Z

    The aggregate risk across FTSE 100 defined benefit schemes has fallen to its lowest level in four years, according to research that seeks to integrate covenant and investment risk. 

  • Paul McGlone
    Opinion

    Surplus poses opportunities and challenges for PPF

    2018-09-03T00:00:00Z

    The Pension Protection Fund’s surplus has the power to significantly alter the fortunes of the UK’s defined benefit members and employers, writes Society of Pension Professionals president Paul McGlone, but deciding when, how and to whom to distribute it will prove an intriguing challenge.

  • Paul McGlone
    Opinion

    IDWG cost disclosures are only the beginning

    2018-07-17T00:00:00Z

    The code submitted by Chris Sier’s working group on cost disclosure should make a material and positive difference to the industry, writes the Society of Pension Professionals’ president Paul McGlone, but schemes have an obligation to make use of this new information.

  • Paul McGlone
    Opinion

    Small schemes should not pin hopes on consolidators

    2018-07-02T00:00:00Z

    Consolidators looking to profit from pensions look to have government support, says the Society of Pension Professionals’ Paul McGlone, but those schemes in most desperate need of access to scale are unlikely to make attractive business.

  • Hugh Nolan
    Opinion

    Why pension pros need to keep it simple

    2018-04-30T00:00:00Z

    The Society of Pension Professionals’ Hugh Nolan on why it is important to keep pensions information clear and simple.

  • News

    Fines for DB negligence leave industry split

    2018-03-19T00:00:00Z

    Employers who wilfully or recklessly put their defined benefit pension schemes at risk are in the firing line of new punitive fines announced in a government policy statement released on Monday.

  • Hugh Nolan
    Opinion

    Putting the USS closure debate into perspective

    2018-03-19T00:00:00Z

    Amid all the debate over actuarial methodologies and affordability, Society of Pensions Professionals president Hugh Nolan says a quick look at contribution rates gives a valuable insight as to whether the public sector is getting a good deal.

  • News

    Life expectancy falls by a year in some regions

    2018-01-17T00:00:00Z

    Life expectancy growth in England is slowing, with some regions experiencing a drop of one year, according to research by Public Health England. 

  • Getty Images
    News

    Prospect members agree to BT pension deal

    2018-01-09T00:00:00Z

    BT managers represented by union Prospect have voted in favour of a new pensions deal that will boost pay and aim to incentivise members of its defined benefit BT Pension Scheme to join the defined contribution BT Retirement Saving Scheme.

  • News

    PASA selects members for Transfers Working Group

    2018-01-03T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Administration Standards Association has today announced the 23 members of its new Transfers Working Group, which aims to look closely at defined benefit transfer delays.

  • Hugh Nolan
    Opinion

    Add s67 rethink to the Christmas wishlist

    2017-12-04T00:00:00Z

    An end to the negativity surrounding pensions may be a stretch too far, but SPP president Hugh Nolan hopes for a pleasant surprise from markets and an open mind on changing benefit structures for Christmas.

  • Philip Hammond
    Features

    What can we expect from the Autumn Budget?

    2017-10-31T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: The chancellor’s Autumn Budget is fast approaching, but the industry should not expect any radical pension changes from a weak government bogged down by Brexit, experts say.

  • Hugh Nolan
    Opinion

    We need to narrow the pensions gap

    2017-10-16T00:00:00Z

    The Society of Pension Professionals’ Hugh Nolan says more needs to be done to deliver fair outcomes for everyone.